Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Turns Out...It Really Happened

The three essays in this book were originally written as
lectures for a symposium for pastors and scholars regarding several of the
issues surrounding the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The book has edited the three essays for more popular consumption, though the
average reader will still need to read a little slowly, and will happily learn
several new things about the general topic of Easter.

To give away the ending, the authors believe that Jesus
really was crucified, really died, really was buried, and really did rise from
the dead physically. The first two
essays, written by Craig A. Evans, take a look at first century Jewish and
Roman execution and burial practices.
The third, written by N. T. Wright, is a look at what the early church believed
about Jesus' physical resurrection from the dead and argues for the conclusion
that they believed he did, and, he really did.

Dr. Evans, a recognized and prolific New Testament
scholar, tackles the question of whether the Gospel accounts of Jesus' trial,
death, and burial are likely to have happened the way they are recorded by the
Evangelists. Combing through copious
amounts of source materials regarding how Jewish and Roman culture and legal
systems worked in the day, he builds a strong case for why Jesus was opposed by
the Jewish authorities, the Passover pardon of Barabbas, the scourging, his death
on the cross, and his burial in the tomb.
For the faithful, these seem to be simple and obvious details within the
Easter story, but as Dr. Evans shows throughout, there are plenty of modern-day
theories which attack each. In the end,
however, he shows that each theory which opposes these details has the burden
of proof, and it is a heavy burden indeed.

Bishop Wright, possibly the leading living scholar on the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, takes for his approach a kind of definition and
explanation of the word "resurrection." What was the Old Testament (and thus
prevailing view in Jesus' culture) understanding of it? Was the general, ancient view of resurrection
something compatible with what became the Christian understanding? And finally,
what was the Christian teaching regarding Jesus' resurrection? He argues convincingly that the Christian
view is a distinct departure from their Jewish heritage, the pagan cultures
around them, and is shockingly stable and unified through the years. The explanation for this break and persistent
belief? Jesus physically rose from the
dead and became the Christ-follower's hope.

In the end, this volume tackles many of the details that
we often either take for granted or don't even pay attention to when we come
around to Easter. The way the details
are handled provide further support for the traditional Christian belief about
the last days (and resurrection) of Jesus Christ, and make it harder for the
skeptic to simply brush the whole story off as ancient and simplistic legend.